By way of background, various type of permanent connection joints for interconnecting structures have been proposed. In bore and shaft connections, it is common to use retainer rings that seat in opposing grooves on the bore and shaft. The retainer rings are deformable to allow for installation. For example, when a shaft is installed in a bore, a retainer ring may be compressed in a groove on the shaft before it is inserted. As the shaft is advanced in the bore, it will reach a point where the shaft groove containing the compressed retainer ring becomes aligned with a matching groove in the bore. The compressed retainer ring, now being unconstrained by the sidewall of the bore, will uncompress. The outer diameter of the retainer ring will snap into engagement with the bore's retaining groove while its inner diameter will remain in engagement with the shaft's retaining groove. The shaft will thereby be permanently retained in the bore.
It is to improvements in permanent connection joints that the present disclosure is directed. In particular, a permanent connection joint that does not require a separate retainer ring is proposed. The disclosed technique is applicable to bore and shaft connections, but also has broader application to virtually any type of structural connection.